Department for Transport

Electric Scooters

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they define the term “green” in their guidance to local authorities and e-scooter rental companies.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In June 2020 we made regulations to allow e-scooters to be used in trial areas and issued guidance to local authorities and e-scooter operators. The guidance did not define the term green and it was up to local authorities to determine the focus of the trials in their areas. E-scooters are lighter, slower and more energy efficient than petrol/diesel powered vehicles, so have the potential to reduce transport emissions and improve air quality. As part of our evaluation of the trials, we have been gathering information to allow an assessment of the environmental impacts of the trials. We aim to publish the evaluation findings later this year.

Shipping: Crew

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether key worker status remains available for all foreign crews of ships visiting UK ports; and whether those crews will be allowed to go ashore unless there are known specific health risks.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government has ensured the UK has remained open for seafarers of all nationalities throughout and post pandemic – whether that’s to take shore leave, receive vaccines, or be repatriated. The UK is proud that it has treated all seafarers properly in line with established international conventions. The government remains committed to the welfare of seafarers, and work continues to strengthen legislation in this area. Key workers provide essential services which keep the country functioning. Seafarers are regarded as key workers due to the critical work they carry out to keep our maritime trading routes open. Whilst COVID related restrictions in the UK ended in April 2022, seafarers retain key worker status.

High Speed 2 Line: Greater Manchester

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place a copy of the report, Manchester Piccadilly High Speed Station: Design of an Alternative Underground Stationin the Library of the House.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Manchester Piccadilly High Speed Station – Design of an Alternative Underground Station was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 27 June. The report is also publicly available on the HS2 Ltd website.

Bus Services: West Yorkshire

Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Arriva concerning restoring bus services run by Arriva in parts of West Yorkshire where bus drivers have been on strike.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, everywhere has access to great bus services and regularly engages with bus operators on a variety of issues. Where there are disputes between a private entity and its employees relating to employees’ terms and conditions, it is the responsibility of the company concerned to resolve these issues and make conditions for their employees sufficiently appealing.

Parking: ICT

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many councils in (1) England, (2) Wales, (3) Scotland, and (4) Northern Ireland, have introduced parking which has no cash or credit card payment option and requires payment digitally or through an app.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Responsibility for traffic management on local roads rests with the relevant local authority, as they are best placed to consider how local needs can be effectively met. It is entirely a matter for individual authorities to decide on the nature and scope of parking policies including the operation of any pay to park schemes in their area. The Department does not hold information on local parking schemes of this nature in England and, because parking is a devolved matter, not for Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Scientists: UK Relations with EU

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, (1) what assessment they have made of the number of UK-based scientists who may have grant offers from the European Research Council withdrawn if there are no UK–EU agreements on Horizon Europe, Copernicus and Euratom, and (2) how many UK-based scientists have already relocated to the EU.

Lord Callanan: The UK remains committed and is taking unprecedented steps to support association to Horizon Europe. This includes setting out a guarantee to fund eligible, successful UK applicants to Horizon Europe whose grants are expected to be signed by December 2022. This will ensure that important individual and collaborative projects can go ahead as planned regardless of the status of our association to Horizon Europe. The guarantee means that eligible successful applicants will receive the full value of their funding at a UK host institution or in their consortia, and do not need to leave the UK. UKRI onboarding remains open, and so we encourage all eligible successful UK applicants to take up their guaranteed grant with UKRI.

UK Endorsement Board: Public Appointments

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 21 June (HL866), what was the process for the fair and open competitive recruitment for the position of Technical Director of the UK Endorsement Board; and when that appointment was made.

Lord Callanan: All members of the UK Endorsement Board’s Secretariat are FRC employees and are appointed following an open and transparent recruitment process as set out in the attached document taken from the FRC website.

Energy: Prices

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect Britons from the effects of rising energy bills.

Lord Callanan: The Government is very aware of the difficulties that consumers have experienced as a result of the rise in energy prices. On 26 May, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer announced several support measures to help households and the most vulnerable with the cost of living. Almost eight million of the most vulnerable households will get at least £1,200 of one-off support in total this year, with all domestic electricity customers receiving at least £400. This is in addition to the over £22 billion announced previously to support the rise in the cost of living, now totalling over £37 billion this year.

Department for Education

Financial Services: Education

Baroness Sater: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improvethe provision of financial education for pupils eligible for free school meals.

Baroness Barran: The department wants all schools to offer high standard of financial education. In delivering the curriculum, including financial education, schools should take account of pupils with particular needs and adapt lessons accordingly.Education on financial matters helps to ensure that pupils are taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management and managing financial risk. Finance education forms part of the citizenship national curriculum which can be taught at all key stages and is compulsory at key stages 3 and 4: https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum. At secondary school, pupils are taught about income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, savings and pensions, financial products and services, and how public money is raised and spent.The department has also introduced a rigorous mathematics curriculum, which provides young people with the knowledge and financial skills to make important financial decisions. In the primary mathematics curriculum, there is a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic knowledge that pupils should be taught. This knowledge is vital, as a strong grasp of numeracy and numbers will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. There is also some specific content about financial education, such as calculations with money.The department has not made any specific requirement for financial education provision for pupils who are eligible for free school meals, however, as with other aspects of the curriculum, schools have flexibility over how they deliver these subjects. This means schools can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and background of their pupils.The Money and Pensions Service published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England, to support school leaders to enhance the financial education currently delivered in their schools to make it memorable and impactful. The guidance is available here: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.The department will continue to work closely with the Money and Pensions Service and other stakeholders, such as HM Treasury, to consider learning from other sector initiatives and whether there is scope to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.

16-19 Bursary Fund: Apprentices

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have toextend the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund to apprentices.

Baroness Barran: The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund targets support for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people who need help with the costs of staying in post-16 education and training.The department has no plans to extend the qualifying criteria to include apprentices, because they are employed and in receipt of a wage. Apprenticeships are paid jobs allowing people to earn while they learn, gaining the necessary knowledge and skills needed to progress, or start an exciting career in a variety of industries.The department continues to provide £1,000 to both employers and providers when they take on 16 to 18 year-old apprentices and 19 to 24 year-old apprentices with an education, health and care plan.To support apprentices with living costs, employers may offer work benefits such as travel loans, or company equipment such as a phone or a car and in some cases offer relocation allowance.The department recognises that young care-experienced apprentices, usually living independently, are more likely to struggle with living costs while on an apprenticeship. For this reason, in 2018 the department introduced a £1,000 bursary for care leavers on apprenticeships.

Pupils: Railways

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings were held between the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Transport between 15 September 2021 and 20 June 2022 in which the issue of children travelling to school by train was raised.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government on which dates theSecretary of State for Education met the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss travel contingencies for students travelling by rail to (1) school, (2) college, or (3) university, during periods of disruption to rail services.

Baroness Barran: My right hon. Friend, the former Secretary of State for Education, did not formally meet in a one to one format with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Transport, between 15 September 2021 and 20 June 2022.Ministers and officials in the department regularly attend meetings alongside other government departments, including the Department for Transport, and have done so in the lead up to the strike action. These meetings have been to prepare for the industrial action, highlighting risks and contingencies for our sectors. Daily meetings are taking place, both at an official and ministerial level, to monitor how the rail disruption may be impacting pupils and students.The department will continue to closely monitor the impact of the rail strikes.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Cameroon: Conflict Resolution

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Cameroon on the need for a negotiated political settlement to end armed conflict in the Anglophone regions.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK regularly raises the Anglophone crisis with the Government of Cameroon, stressing the impact it continues to have on the country and its people, as well as the need for inclusive dialogue. The Minister for Africa raised this with the Cameroonian High Commissioner last month.

Cameroon: Politics and Government

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to Cameroonian civil society organisations working in Anglophone regions in Cameroon focusing on (1) the needs and empowerment of women and girls, (2) the needs of internally displaced persons, (3) access to education, (4) peace-building, and (5) human rights monitoring.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Over the last three years, we have provided over £20 million in humanitarian support across Cameroon, including the North-West and South-West regions. This funding is providing support to the most vulnerable people to improve food security, healthcare, water access and sanitation. We have also delivered Conflict, Stability and Security Fund programming, with the aim of increasing respect for human rights; including training of human rights monitors and improving the quality of human rights reporting, as well as delivering training to better protect human rights defenders. Finally, we have funded capacity building to enhance the technical skills of women to better participate in peace processes and support survivors of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV).

Cameroon: Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what monies they have allocated to Cameroon from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund in the last 12 months; and for what purposes.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: In the last financial year (2021-2022) the UK allocated £1.1 million from the CSSF-funded Lake Chad Basin Regional Stabilisation Facility (RSF) to support UN stabilisation activities in the Far North of Cameroon.The UK also supports capacity building and training to the Cameroon military in the Far North, through approximately £1.3 million of CSSF funding in financial year 2021-2022. This includes the provision of targeted training to select Cameroonian armed forces, including the Battalion d'Intervention Rapide (BIR). This training is focused on the Lake Chad Basin conflict only, and emphasises obligations to adhere to strict International Human Rights standards. We have also supported training on the law of armed conflict.In addition, over the last financial year we have allocated £350,000 to CSSF funded projects in the North-West and South-West regions of the country. This has supported projects primarily focused on improving human rights, including training of human rights monitors and improving the quality of human rights reporting, as well as training to improve the protection of human rights defenders.

Afghanistan: Sikhs

Lord Singh of Wimbledon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in preparation for the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, what steps they will take to help protect the lives of Sikh families remaining in Afghanistan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We continue to raise human rights, including rights of religious and ethnic minorities, in our meetings with the Taliban, including in visits of senior officials to Kabul in October 2021 and February 2022. We call on them to respect international law and uphold human rights of all Afghans. We are also encouraging them to engage in dialogue with a range of Afghans and to establish inclusive governance which better represents Afghanistan's diverse ethnic and religious groups. We continue to work closely with international partners to hold those responsible for human rights abuses to account. We supported a UN Human Rights Council resolution to establish a Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan (appointed April 2022) and worked through the UN Security Council to strengthen human rights reporting and monitoring in the new mandate for the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA).The International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) will bring together key members of the international FoRB community, in a programme that is themed around preventing FoRB violations and abuses and protecting and promoting FoRB for all.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nature Conservation: Property Development

Earl Cathcart: To ask Her Majesty's Government why Natural England has imposed up to a one year moratorium on developments for over 40 councils in England.

Lord Benyon: The Government has not imposed a moratorium on development. Further information regarding nutrient pollution impacts on protected sites and nutrient neutrality can be found at : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nutrient-pollution-reducing-the-impact-on-protected-sites/nutrient-pollution-reducing-the-impact-on-protected-sites (and attached to this answer).Nutrient pollution (pdf, 104.2KB)

Home Office

Visas: Ukraine

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many visa applications from the (1) Ukraine Family Scheme, and (2) Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, are yet to have a decision issued.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Information on the number of visas received and granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Total Ukraine Scheme visa applications received: 168,600Data is as of 28 June 2022 and comprised of:Ukraine Family Scheme: 50,800Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: 117,800Total Ukraine Scheme visas issued to people: 142,500Data is as of 28 June 2022 and comprised of: Ukraine Family Scheme visas: 44,100Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme visas: 98,400Total arrivals of Ukraine Scheme visa-holders in the UK: 86,600Data is as of 27 June 2022 and comprised of:arrivals via Ukraine Family Scheme: 27,800arrivals via Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: 58,800

Refugees: Afghanistan

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Afghan citizens have arrived in the UK under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme in each month since 1 January.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Afghan citizens who arrived under the Afghans Citizens Resettlement Scheme since 1 January are still in temporary accommodation.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manyAfghan citizens who arrived under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme since 1 January have been permitted to seek employment.

Lord Harrington of Watford: Following the evacuation from Afghanistan, work is underway to ensure information relating to all the individuals relocated is recorded on case working systems. Once this work concludes, statistics on the ACRS and ARAP will be included in future editions of the Immigration Statistics.All those brought to the UK under the Afghanistan Citizen Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy have the right to work, access to education and healthcare and be able to apply for public funds.

Domestic Abuse Act 2021

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to lay regulations to bring section 68 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 into force.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We know that controlling or coercive behaviour does not stop at the point of separation. Indeed, it can persist and often increase as the perpetrator seeks to retain control over the victim. That’s why Section 68 of our landmark Domestic Abuse Act amended the definition of ‘personally connected’ which removed the ‘living together’ requirement for the controlling or coercive behaviour offence. This means the offence will apply to intimate partners, ex-partners or family members, regardless of whether the victim and perpetrator live together. In order for the new offence to be effectively implemented and to further support frontline agencies in identifying, investigating and evidencing domestic abuse offences, we are updating the Controlling or Coercive Behaviour Statutory Guidance which will be published later this year.On 30th April, we launched a public consultation on the updated draft guidance to garner wider views, with the opportunity for all interested stakeholders, including victims and users of support and prevention services, to respond. The consultation will run for eight weeks, closing on 25th June. It is important we get this guidance right to best support victims of controlling or coercive behaviour. This wide-reaching public consultation will allow us to produce a robust and comprehensive document which reflects the needs of victims and ensures that professionals can recognise and respond to controlling or coercive behaviour appropriately.We are making good progress implementing the Domestic Abuse Act and have already implemented important provisions including the offence of threatening to disclose intimate images; the offence of non-fatal strangulation; new duties for local authorities around the provision of accommodation-based support; and providing automatic eligibility for special measures (e.g. giving evidence from behind a screen) for victims in the family court. We are working at pace to implement the remaining provisions, including the extension of the controlling or coercive behaviour offence.As the Government needs to update the Controlling or Coercive Behaviour Statutory Guidance and provide the police and courts with sufficient time to prepare for the implementation of the new offence, Section 68 of the Domestic Abuse Act will be implemented later in 2022. We hope to be able to provide clearer timeframes post-consultation and will keep stakeholders updated throughout this process.

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toprevent seasonal agricultural workers being charged recruitment fees; and how many UK recruitment firms have lost their licence for charging such fees illegally.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: A key objective of the Seasonal Workers Scheme is to ensure that migrant workers are protected against modern slavery and other labour abuses, including the charging of recruitment fees. The safety and wellbeing of workers is considered paramount.The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) assess overseas labour providers when they apply for a licence to be a part of the Seasonal Workers Scheme. Charging recruitment fees would be a breach of the licensing standards. Any labour provider found to be in breach of the licensing standards is not provided with a licence or would have their licence revoked. To date, no licence holder part of the Seasonal Workers Scheme has been found to be in breach of the standards related to recruitment fees.The GLAA is undertaking work in partnership to prevent exploitation of workers. For example, the GLAA and seasonal worker pilot operators are jointly developing an informative video, specifically addressing issues related to recruitment fees. The video is due to be launched in the coming weeks. The GLAA is also developing specific guidance aimed for overseas businesses will also be published shortly. Finally, the GLAA is working with UK embassies to engage more closely with in-country government agencies and ensure local laws and regulations are always met.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Empty Property

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have powers to requisition residential properties left unoccupied for six months or more in peace-time and without declaring a state of emergency.

Lord Greenhalgh: It is for local housing authorities to decide when to use their powers to deal with empty properties, and they have the flexibility to focus on locally determined priorities and allocate their resources accordingly.In certain circumstances, local authorities can exercise powers to take over the management of long-term empty homes in order to bring them back into use in the private rented sector. Local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal.Similarly, Compulsory Purchase Orders can be used by local authorities to acquire empty properties where the authority can demonstration that the acquisition would be in the public interest.

Empty Property: Change of Use

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to encourage the conversion of redundant or vacant (1) shops, (2) public houses, and (3) other buildings, into dwellings.

Lord Greenhalgh: Our National Planning Policy Framework encourages the re-use of redundant or disused buildings for housing. In addition, we have introduced a range of nationally set permitted development rights which allow for the change of use from a wide range of vacant commercial buildings, such as shops, offices and restaurants to residential use without the need for a local planning application. The rights are making an important contribution to housing delivery, with over 82,000 new homes delivered under them rights in the six years to March 2021. Pubs will often be an important community asset, and we believe that it is appropriate that any proposals to change their use should be considered through the planning application process.

Housing: Urban Areas

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving (1) to (a) new, and (b) expanded, towns in England, and (2) to the provision of prefabricated or industrialised dwellings.

Lord Greenhalgh: This Government is committed to supporting the development of locally-led new and expanded towns and villages through our garden communities programme. In May this year, we announced a package of £15 million to support 43 garden communities from Cornwall to Carlisle. This brings the total support since the launch of the programme from 2014 to over £69.4 million.New technology and innovation have improved productivity, quality and choice across a range of sectors and the Government wants to see the same happen in housing. In order to achieve the benefits of a modern methods of construction (MMC) sector working at scale, we are stimulating demand through our funding and land programmes.In the Affordable Housing Programme (2021-26) at least 25% of homes delivered through Strategic Partnerships will use MMC. We have recently launched the £1.5 billion Levelling Up Home Building Fund to support small and medium sized housebuilders, self and custom builders and innovators such as those using MMC. This Fund will provide development finance to deliver 42,000 homes, with the majority of delivery outside London and the South East.

Rented Housing: Pets

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of their Renters Reform Bill proposals with blocks of flats where pets are banned in the lease.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government announced in our White Paper ‘A Fairer Private Rented Sector’ that we will bring forward legislation to stop landlords from unreasonably withholding consent when a tenant requests to have a pet in their home. We know that that there are situations where it might be reasonable for a landlord to refuse a request. This may include cases where a landlord would be in breach of a superior lease agreement in a block of flats.We will continue to discuss a common-sense approach with those in the sector as we look towards legislating and implementing these reforms.

Private Rented Housing: Tenancy Agreements

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the proposed abolition of fixed-term tenancies in the private rented sector on leasehold blocks of flats where short lets of under six months are prohibited.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government announced in our White Paper 'A Fairer Private Rented Sector' that all tenancies will be periodic, meaning tenants can stay in their home until they choose to leave or the landlord has a valid reason for possession.The Government has consulted on tenancy reform and will continue to consider carefully the impacts of these reforms on the rental sector. We will look at all these issues as we prepare for legislation, including where they interact with other types of housing such as leasehold property.

Private Rented Housing: Tenancy Agreements

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the impact of periodic tenancies on (1) the supply of properties in the private rented sector, and (2) the increased associated costs implied by shorter and more frequent tenancies.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government announced in our White Paper ‘A Fairer Private Rented Sector’ that all tenancies will be periodic, meaning tenants can stay in their homes until they choose to leave or the landlord has a valid reason for possession.We do not expect these changes to give rise to shorter and more frequent tenancies. Given the expense and inconvenience of moving house, tenants are unlikely to move unless they really need to and particularly not after starting a new tenancy.We will continue to work closely with those in the sector on the impacts of these changes on the rental sector, as we prepare for legislation.